tselina means A "virgin land": an underdeveloped, scarcely populated, high-fertility region of land often covered with chernozem soil in Russia and Kazakhstan. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.
Why “tselina” is a great word
TSELINA — [Noun] A high-fertility expanse of chernozem soil in the steppe regions of Russia and Kazakhstan that has never been subjected to the plow. From Russian целина́ (celiná, "virgin soil, virgin land"). Unlike a "steppe," which is any vast, treeless grassland, or "fallow," which is cultivated land resting between plantings, *tselina* is the promise of untouched fecundity. It is the deep, unbroken black crust awaiting its first scar, the dense mat of root known only to sun and wind, the profound quiet before the ploughshare bites in—the last, vast innocence of the soil, waiting for history to begin.
Etymology
From Russian целина́ (celiná).
noun
- A "virgin land": an underdeveloped, scarcely populated, high-fertility region of land often covered with chernozem soil in Russia and Kazakhstan.